Leavitt, who lives on Lucille Drive, told the Crier, “The whole thing started between the dogs — they had a little animosity between each other. They’re both male dogs.”
Leavitt said his dog, which has been in the neighborhood for about three and a half years, has had no problems with other canines.
“Dogs in this neighborhood roam freely,” said Leavitt. “The pit bull gets along with all of them.”
He argues that Barresi, who used to walk his dog near Leavitt’s yard, should have taken more precautions. He said Barresi’s dog was unleashed.
He said that his dog did not attack Baressi’s. Rather, it “picked up the dog with his mouth.” Leavitt said that he yelled for his dog to stop.
After the incident, he said there were no puncture wounds and no blood.
Leavitt said he empathizes with Baressi. He said he loves animals, and, as such, he knows what it means to have a pet that, essentially, is another family member.
“I would definitely be furious if it was me on their end,” Leavitt said.
But, he argues that Baressi should have not taken his dog near Leavitt’s house.
Baressi says his dog was not unleashed.
“That is incorrect. My dog was within arms-length from me,” Baressi said. He also said that he disagreed that the two dogs had any sort of animosity.
“How could a seven pound dog have animosity toward anything?” he asked. There was a previous incident with the two dogs. Both, he said, were unprovoked.
“It’s a manner of one dog being aggressive and vicious,” he said. He disagreed with Leavitt’s account of the attack.
“Define vicious however you want. One dog is dead, and the other is alive. The one that’s dead had all of its ribs broken and its organs pierced,” Baressi said.
Baressi argued that Leavitt’s dog could potentially produce another fatality, whether with a dog or a child.
“I fear the day when there’s an accident between his dog and my future kid, or someone else’s kid,” added Baressi.
Soon, a hearing will be held that will determine whether Leavitt’s dog is considered vicious under law. The dog was recently released from its ten-day quarantine at Leavitt’s home.
(Tewksbury Town Crier - Dec 23, 2011)
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